Marketing Mix (4Ps) Analysis of AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative

About 4Ps Model

The 4p model of marketing comprises elements of the product, price, promotion, and place (Chernev, 2018; Kucuk, 2017). The model is commonly referred to as the marketing mix. The marketing mix of the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative allows and facilitates it in achieving its marketing objectives as well as in positively influencing the target audience (Baines, Fill, & Rosengren, 2017). The elements identified in the marketing mix are typically used by the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative for marketing its product and service, and for brand development and building activities. These elements are critically fundamental for the development and creation of marketing plans and marketing strategies by the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative – especially for developing and sustaining competitive advantage (Chernev, 2018; Stead & Hastings, 2018; Grewal & Levy, 2021). AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative ensures that the elements identified for the marketing mix model work together cohesively, and complement each other in all its marketing strategies and plans (Abratt & Bendixen, 2018; Deepak & Jeyakumar, 2019).

Product

The product refers to the actual good or service that is being marketed to the consumers by AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative, and which will be consumed by the target audience of the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative (Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015). The product or the service being offered by AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative largely aims to fulfill a market need and demand, as well as works to create demand by providing a unique and fulfilling customer experience (Stead & Hastings, 2018; Sahaf, 2019).

Quality

Product quality for AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative largely refers to how well the company is able to satisfy the customers’ needs and demands through its product and service offerings (Baines, Fill, & Rosengren, 2017; Deepak & Jeyakumar, 2019). In addition to this, the product quality for AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative further includes the adherence of the company and its product and service offerings to industry standards and benchmarks as well as the ability of the same to serve its meaning and purpose comprehensively (Iacobucci, 2021; Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015; Chernev, 2018).

Customer demand fulfillment

The ability of the product and service to fulfill customer demands as well as its purpose, and to work efficiently and effectively are important facets of product quality for AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative (Iacobucci, 2021; Deepak & Jeyakumar, 2019). AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative ensures that its products are available for customers at affordable prices by controlling internal costs (Wu & Li, 2018).

Warranty

The warranty extended by AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative includes the guarantee that the company to its customers regarding the functioning and the quality of the purchased food and service (Abratt & Bendixen, 2018). In addition, AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative’s warranty also includes any compensation that the company has promised to give the customers in case the product and service fall short of the marketed benefits and functionalities (Išoraitė, 2016; Grewal & Levy, 2021; Kucuk, 2017).

Packaging

AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative focuses thoroughly on the packaging and makes sure it includes the process of designing, evaluating, and developing a container for the products and services being manufactured and marketed (Deepak & Jeyakumar, 2019; Baines, Fill, & Rosengren, 2017). The packaging of the product and the service allows AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative to highlight the product's purpose, as well as provides ease in transportation, gives room for more prolonged shelf life, and creates a unique and delightful customer experience (Kareh, 2018; Park, 2020).

Brand

The AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative invests in developing brands out of its products and service offerings. This means that the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative engages in brand-building activities for its offerings i.e. associating specific designs and communications with its products to ensure differentiation, and easier communication with the target audience (Gillespie & Swan, 2021).

Building the brand

The branding-building activities undertaken by the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative ensure that its target audience is better able to relate to the offerings (Abratt & Bendixen, 2018). Through this, the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative ensures higher loyalty and repeat purchases, as well as positive perception creation for its offerings (Khan, 2014; Kareh, 2018).

Features

Product features or characteristics refer to the product traits and attributes present in the offerings of AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative that allow the company to successfully deliver unique value to customers through the products and services manufactured and offered (Varadarajan, 2015; Kotler & Keller, 2021). The product traits and features also allow AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative to create points of differentiation from the competition for its offering (Kotler & Keller, 2021; Park, 2020).

Product style

AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative makes sure to focus on the design and the look of the product, and the ability of the same to meet the expectations and lifestyle of the target audience (Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015). The AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative ensures that the product style and design complement its features and purpose.

Functionality

AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative makes sure that the product manufactured fulfills its purpose, and meets customer expectations (Abratt & Bendixen, 2018). AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative focuses on the product design, and how well it is able to fulfill the demands of the customers, as well as fill in the market gap (Baines, Fill, & Rosengren, 2017)

Experience

AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative products provide the customers with an exceptional and unique experience upon consumption (Kotler & Keller, 2021). This experience includes interaction with the products that leads to different unique and positive customer feelings and helps the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative maintain differentiation from the competition (Varadarajan, 2015; Kotabe & Helsen, 2020).

Availability

AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative ensures that its product and service offerings are available for its target consumers at various retail setups. The easy availability ensures that consumers are able to purchase the offerings of AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative from various locations, allowing the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative to create an advantage over competing players (Kotler & Keller, 2021; Chernev, 2018).

Convenience

One point of focus for AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative in its product offering is convenience. The AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative ensures that its products and service are easy and convenient to use. The factor of convenience allows AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative to enjoy a higher consumption rate, as well as increased sales and trials (Kotabe & Helsen, 2020; Kucuk, 2017).

After-sales service

AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative caters to after-sales queries and demands of customers, which also includes processes of returns as well as exchanges. The after-sales service of company AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative is detrimental and critical in determining customer satisfaction with its offerings (Iacobucci, 2021; Chernev, 2018).

Sizes

AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative has different SKUs in the product available. AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative has its products available in various SKU sizes which helps the company boost its sales, as different customer groups have different demands for the product quantity – depending on their usage, income as well as lifestyle (Grewal & Levy, 2021; Deepak & Jeyakumar, 2019).

Price

The element of price in the marketing mix refers to the value that customers pay for the service or the product offered by AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative. The pricing strategy and the price of the offerings are critical because it determines three success for AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative by directly influencing the profit levels and revenue for the company (Kotabe & Helsen, 2020; Kotler & Keller, 2021; Deepak & Jeyakumar, 2019).

Discounts

One of the ways through which the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative influences its pricing strategies is through offering discounts on its product and service offerings. Discounted pricing for the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative means that AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative decreases the price of the product and service in order to generate interest, or even unload excessive inventory and stock; as well as for boosting sales (Baines, Fill, & Rosengren, 2017).

Margins

AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative makes room for margins through the additional value charged in price over the cost – which allows the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative to build profit for its offerings (Kucuk, 2017). The margins available to the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative largely depend on the offering and its quality itself, in addition to the brand equity and brand value of the company.

Payment method

A significant factor of the pricing element of the marketing mix for the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative includes the payment methods that the company offers (Kotler & Keller, 2021; Abratt & Bendixen, 2018). Since the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative largely operates distribution to retail via agents and retailers, it ensures the inclusion of different payment methods. This includes digital payment, cash payment, as well as credit allowances (Grewal & Levy, 2021; Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015).

Pricing strategy

Penetrative pricing strategy

For AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative, the penetrative pricing strategy is adopted as it allows the company higher trial generation of its products and services in the desired target market, as well as allows the building of a broader reach for its product offerings by ensuring easier affordability (Baines, Fill, & Rosengren, 2017).

Introductory pricing strategy

For new products that the company launches, AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative ensures to adopt an introductory pricing strategy. This means that the company prices its products and service offerings at relatively lower prices than the competition. This introductory pricing strategy allows the company to increase trial generation, achieve higher penetration, as well as lead to the generation of increased brand awareness and recall (Kucuk, 2017).

Aggressive/competitive pricing strategy

For existing products, AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative uses a competitive and aggressive pricing strategy. This ensures that the products are available readily at competitive prices. Aggressive and competitive pricing strategies allow the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative to experience high rates of growth and experience by allowing the buildup of consumer loyalty and following based largely on product attributes and quality instead of price– leading to the generation of higher brand equity and value for AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative (Deepak & Jeyakumar, 2019).

Place

The element of place within the 4Ps model of the marketing mix largely refers to the locations where company AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative stocks its product and service offerings for consumers' accessibility and purchase. AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative ensures to include all possible placements which are easily accessible to and available for the company's target audience (Iacobucci, 2021; Išoraitė, 2016). With the advancement of technology, AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative has expanded the placement of its products beyond the traditional brick-and-mortar retail spaces, to include modern Omni channel retail platforms as well (Iacobucci, 2021).

Physical stores/retail

The physical retail and stores i.e. the traditional brick and mortar spaces continue to be the prioritized locations for product placement by AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative (Iacobucci, 2021; Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015; Abratt & Bendixen, 2018).

Retail types

These include hypermarkets, upper markets, and smaller grocery stores - all of which allow increased accessibility and availability of AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative’s products and services to its target audience. Physical retail has a higher footfall and allows direct interaction of the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative brand and its product offerings with the consumers (Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015; Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015; Chernev, 2018).

E-commerce

E-tailers

The AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative also stocks its products on e-commerce retail shops – such as amazon. This allows the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative higher access and penetration in other markets, as well as in secondary consumer groups. Moreover, e-commerce retailing is more cost-effective for the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative (Wu & Li, 2018; Chernev, 2018; Baines, Fill, & Rosengren, 2017).

Company-owned website

In addition to stocking products with other e-trailers, the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative also manages orders through its own website, where consumers can place orders for AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative’s products directly. This allows the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative greater control over stock and inventory management, as well as distribution networks – allowing the buildup of stronger relations with consumers.

Lastly, the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative also takes limited orders through social media pages and platforms (Wu & Li, 2018; Baines, Fill, & Rosengren, 2017).

Aggregators

Another way through which AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative uses e-commerce is by stocking its offerings with aggregators (Kucuk, 2017). This allows the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative to maximize its reach and increase penetration. At the same time, it also allows increased trial generation and repeats purchases for the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative product offerings (Išoraitė, 2016; Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015).

Specialty stores

Interestingly, the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative also stocks its products with specialty stores (Grewal & Levy, 2021). This gives the company direct exposure to its target market and audience and allows the consumers to directly interact with the brand and its offerings- without too much clutter (Kotler & Keller, 2021; Gillespie & Swan, 2021). The specialty stores are located in prime locations, and allow AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative higher penetration and reach, leading to increased brand awareness for its product offerings (Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015; Išoraitė, 2016).

Direct sales

The AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative also has a trained sales team for making direct sales (Kotler & Keller, 2021). AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative targets not only B2C consumers but also B2-B consumers (Chernev, 2018; Grewal & Levy, 2021). Both these categories, also make use of direct marketing whereby the sales agents and teams visit the target audience and business directly and detail the product features and benefits (Kotler & Keller, 2021; Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015).

B2B and direct sales

AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative’s team makes sales instantly during field visits for the company (Sahaf, 2019; Stead & Hastings, 2018). The target audience is carefully profiled and selected by the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative so that the sales representatives are able to filter out the clutter (Gillespie & Swan, 2021; Išoraitė, 2016). AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative is able to easily contact and communicate with the desired business groups only (Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015; Abratt & Bendixen, 2018).

Inventory management

AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative effectively manages its inventory and fulfills the retailer's demand in time to ensure that it manages customer relations efficiently – and does not lose any customers. AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative has also introduced automation in inventory management which allows it to improve efficiency and speed, and reduce error rates (Park, 2020; Gillespie & Swan, 2021; Kucuk, 2017).

Transportation

For AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative, this includes choosing cos effective transportation means for inventory handling, as well as order deliveries to customers, as well as retailers. The company uses third-party transportation, as well as manages its own in-house transportation networks for ensuring on-time order deliveries (Abratt & Bendixen, 2018; Chernev, 2018; Grewal & Levy, 2021).

Promotion

The element of promotion in the marketing mix for AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative largely refers to the tactics and activities of communication that the company has adopted for promoting its products and services – including the brand, and its offerings, as well as other product features, characteristics, and activities (Varadarajan, 2015; Gillespie & Swan, 2021). The communication is largely targeted toward the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative's target audience and is aimed to increase brand awareness, brand loyalty as well as sales of the company (Wu & Li, 2018; Grewal & Levy, 2021).

Direct marketing

For its more specific products and offerings, AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative uses direct marketing. AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative directly emails potential customers- especially its B2B consumers for detailing its product offerings and features. AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative uses personalized messages and captures new clients and customers for the business. In addition to direct emailing, the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative also makes use of telemarketing and direct mail for targeting audiences through direct marketing (Chernev, 2018; Sahaf, 2019).

In-store promotion

AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative also focuses on in-store promotions for appealing to the customers, and boosting sales as well as raising brand awareness and profile of its offerings (Baines, Fill, & Rosengren, 2017). For AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative, the in-store promotions include offering price discounts, loyalty points, and flash sales for its products. In addition, the company also invests in building up the POS within the store locations (Stead & Hastings, 2018; Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015).

Social media marketing

One of the more contemporary forms of marketing and promotion for AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative includes social media marketing. The company has an official presence and profiles on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, and regularly uses these platforms to promote its offerings, and product features and characteristics (Stead & Hastings, 2018). In addition, these platforms are also used by AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative to inform consumers about using sales and discounts to increase in-store footfall.

Traditional advertising

The AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative continues to use traditional marketing tactics and promotional platforms as well – largely for mass marketing purposes. The company especially focuses on TV advertisements, ad print media advertising for this purpose (Išoraitė, 2016; Iacobucci, 2021).

TV

TV advertisements are generally placed in prime time for higher visibility and reach by AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative. The TV advertisements use functional as well as emotional appeals to communicate the message of the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative to the audiences (Iacobucci, 2021; Stead & Hastings, 2018).

Print

Print media and advertisements are published in newspapers and magazines – both of which are generally consumed in high proportion by the broader target audience of the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative (Chernev, 2018; Iacobucci, 2021; Stead & Hastings, 2018).

Radio

The AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative also places advertisements on the radio to appeal to a segment of the target population. The radio communications by the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative are usually shorter and focus on functional appeal only (Park, 2020; Išoraitė, 2016; Groucutt & Hopkins, 2015).

Integrated marketing communications

The advertisement and promotional messages by AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative for all mediums and channels however are built on an integrated plan, and ensure that they reflect messages and communication that is similar to the overall campaign to void confusion and discrepancies (Gillespie & Swan, 2021; Kotler & Keller, 2021). The use of integrated marketing and integrated media has allowed the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative to build strong relations with the consumers through prompting conversations and discussions directly with them (Deepak & Jeyakumar, 2019; Sahaf, 2019; Stead & Hastings, 2018).

Conclusion

The 4p model or the marketing mix is an important aspect of brand building and development for the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative and significantly guides the company in the chalking out of its strategic marketing goals and plans. The marketing mix model or the 4P model has helped the AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative in increasing its products’ and services’ reach and penetration and witness high levels of expansion and growth. The model has also led AES Corporation A Global Sourcing Initiative towards a better understanding of its target audience and consumers. This understanding, in turn, has fostered strong emotional relations and increased loyalty on part of consumers towards the company – leading to an overall increase in the brand value and brand equity, as well as higher levels of brand affiliation, brand awareness, and brand recall. Together, the marketing mix has helped the company boost its sales and revenue by aligning its offerings with the needs and demands of the consumers, and the market more effectively and efficiently.

References

Abratt, R., & Bendixen, M. (2018). Strategic marketing: Concepts and cases. New York, United States: Routledge.

Baines, P., Fill, C., & Rosengren, S. (2017). Marketing. New York, United States: Oxford University Press.

Chernev, A. (2018). Strategic marketing management. Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany: Cerebellum Press.

Deepak, R., & Jeyakumar, S. (2019). Marketing management. New Delhi, India: Educreation Publishing.

Gillespie, K., & Swan, K. (2021). Global marketing. New York, United States: Routledge.

Grewal, D., & Levy, M. (2021). M: marketing. New York, United States: McGraw-Hill Education.

Groucutt, J., & Hopkins, C. (2015). Marketing. London: Macmillan International Higher Education.

Iacobucci, D. (2021). Marketing management. Boston, Massachusetts, United States: Cengage Learning.

Išoraitė, M. (2016). Marketing mix theoretical aspects. International Journal of Research-Granthaalayah, 4(6), 25-37.

Kareh, A. (2018). Evolution of the four Ps: Revisiting the marketing mix. Retrieved June 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/01/03/evolution-of-the-four-ps-revisiting-the-marketing-mix/

Khan, M. (2014). The concept of ‘marketing mix’and its elements. International journal of information, business and management, 6(2), 95-107.

Kotabe, M., & Helsen, K. (2020). Global marketing management. Hoboken, New Jersey, United States: John Wiley & Sons.

Kotler, P., & Keller, K. (2021). Marketing Management (15th global edition). London, United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited.

Kucuk, S. (2017). Marketing and Marketing Mix. In Visualizing Marketing (pp. 3-7). London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan.

Park, S. (2020). Marketing management (Vol. 3). Retrieved June 2022, from https://books.google.com.pk/books/about/Marketing_Management.html?id=p6v7DwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y

Sahaf, A. (2019). Strategic marketing: Making decisions for strategic advantage. New Delhi, India: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.

Stead, M., & Hastings, G. (2018). Advertising in the social marketing mix: getting the balance right. In Social Marketing (pp. 29-43). London, England: Psychology Press.

Varadarajan, R. (2015). Strategic marketing, marketing strategy and market strategy. AMS review , 5(3), 78-90.

Wu, Y., & Li, E. (2018). Marketing mix, customer value, and customer loyalty in social commerce: A stimulus-organism-response perspective. Internet Research., 28(1), 74-104.